The present invention generally relates to delivery systems for delivering substances such as drugs, vaccines and the like, and more specifically relates to a drug delivery system for preferably delivering such substances intranasally, i.e., through the nose, including a holder and a prefilled drug container such as a syringe. In addition, the present invention relates to a holder for use by one hand in which the travel of the stopper is controlled to insure the application of a minimum force before activation and to divide the substance to be delivered into at least two doses.
A number of medications may be effectively administered through the nasal passages. Devices have accordingly been developed for this purpose including either cartridges, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,893,484 (Fuchs et al.), 5,813,570 (Fuchs et al.), 5,655,689 (Fuchs et al.), 5,511,698 (Solignac), 5,427,280 (Fuchs), 5,289,818 (Citterio et al.), 5,284,132 (Geier) and 5,171,219 (Fujioka et al.), or syringes, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,601,077 (Imbert), 4,923,448 (Ennis, III), 4,767,416 (Wolf et al.) and 4,344,573 (De Felice).
The nasal syringes are usually of a more conventional construction such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,077 (Imbert) which includes a cylindrical barrel having a blunt tip portion for insertion into a nostril. A stopper is positioned within the barrel. A plunger extends from the end of the barrel opposite to the blunt tip. The plunger controls the position of the stopper within the barrel. A flange may be provided on one end of the plunger to facilitate its use. However, limitations remain, particularly with respect to insuring that sufficient force is applied to the plunger to obtain a therapeutic effective spray.
Nasal syringes are often supplied to users pre-filled with medication. Whether pre-filled or not, it may be desirable to administer selected, and usually equal volumes of medication to each nostril. U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,868 (Borchard) discloses the use of a telescoping tube assembly which is designed for expelling the contents of a nasal syringe in two controlled doses. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,077 (Imbert) discloses the use of a dose limited in the form of a c-shaped attachment on the plunger rod for limiting movement in the distal directed so that approximately half of the substance to be delivered remains in the syringe. To continue, the user simply removes the attachment from the plunger rod. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,526 (Korisch et al.) discloses a holder having an integral dose divider. However, it remains difficult for users to administer equal doses of medication to each nostril, especially with one hand.
Accordingly, there has been a need for a nasal drug delivery system which over comes the problems and limitations associated with the use of the prior devices for delivering a substance, especially intranasally easily with one hand, including delivery of a uniform spray which can be divided into at least two separate doses for delivery into each nostril. Also, there has been a need for a system which would permit the user to observe the substance in the system to determine, for example, if the system has been previously used.
In contrast to the prior devices discussed above, it has been found that a drug delivery system particularly suited for use in intranasally delivering substances such as drugs, vaccines and the like can be constructed in accordance with the present invention. Specifically, the invention is directed to an assembly such as a housing which allows the use of a conventional, pre-filled drug containers such as syringe while providing control of the dose to be administered. The assembly is particularly applicable to nasal syringes where it is often desirable to dispense medication in two equal doses.
The system of the present invention for delivering at least one substance in at least two doses includes a drug container including a barrel, a first end extending from the barrel, and a stopper slidably positioned within the barrel, a holder having a distal portion and a proximal portion, with the distal portion being assembled to the proximal portion, with the drug container secured therein, and means for controlling the delivery of a substance contained in the barrel of the drug container including a plurality of slots extending axially along at least one of the portions of the holder whereby upon activation of the system, the portions of the holder move towards one another upon the application of a minimum force and the stopper moves a preselected axial distance to expel at least a portion of the substance from the drug container.
In the preferred embodiment of the system, the first end of the drug container includes a spray nozzle for use in intranasally delivering the substance and the drug container is a syringe, and the distal portion of the holder acts as a plunger rod during activation of the system. In addition, the distal portion and the proximal portion of the holder each has a generally tubular interior configured to accommodate the drug container filled with a substance to be delivered and the proximal portion of the holder includes a closed end having a rod extending therefrom for engagement with the stopper of the drug container upon activation. Also, the preselected axial distance corresponds to about a dosage of the substance held in the drug container barrel desired to be administered in a first motion of the stopper, with the preselected axial distance preferably corresponding to about half the distance that the stopper is capable of moving within the barrel to administer about half of the substance held by the drug container.
Also, in the preferred system of the present invention, the distal portion and the proximal portion of the holder are attached to one another by means of flexible members and corresponding openings to avoid premature activation of the system, with the openings formed by a portion of the distal portion bridging a space between a pair of flanges extending radially outwardly form the distal portion. In addition, the distal portion includes a skirt extending from the distal portion, including the bridging portion, and the skirt covers the means for controlling the delivery of the substance. Also, the first end of the drug container includes a spray nozzle for use in intranasally delivering the substance and the drug container is a syringe, and a limiter is also associated with a first end of the distal portion, with the limiter limiting the depth of insertion of the spray nozzle into a nostril. Either the limiter or the spray nozzle is formed of a curved design to target specific areas in a nasal cavity. Further, the system includes a cap covering at least a first end of the distal portion, with the cap including a tamper evident means.
In addition, the preferred system of the present invention includes a means for securing the drug container in the distal portion of the holder with the distal portion having a first end through which the first end of the drug container can extend and a second, open end defining an opening of sufficient size for receiving the drug container. Specifically, the drug container is preferably a syringe having a rim extending from an open end thereof and the drug container securing means is situated adjacent the open end of the distal portion and includes at least one detent situated adjacent the open end and dimensioned so that the rim of the syringe may be securely retained in the distal portion by the detent. Also, a pair of flanges extend radially outwardly from the distal portion of the holder and attached thereto by a plurality of ribs, and the distal portion of the holder includes at least one window to permit visual inspect of the contents of the drug container located within the holder.
Further, the distal portion includes at least one pair of ribs and wherein the slots in the proximal portion of the holder include at least one pair of slots situated thereof, with the pair of slots including a first slot and a second slot extending axially along the body of the proximal portion of the holder generally parallel to each other and dimensioned and situated to accommodate the ribs so that one of the ribs is insertable into each slot and able to travel along the slot upon activation of the system. Also, the first slot is preferably open and is divided into at least two portions, and situated adjacent an open end of the first slot is a bridge extending across at least a portion of the slot, with the bridge being dimensioned so that when a rib comes in contact with the bridge and sufficient force is applied there against, the bridge will fracture to allow passage of the rib along the slot. In addition, a detent is situated adjacent the open end of the first portion of the first slot so that the rib can be clipped between the detent and the bridge prior to activation of the system, and the second portion of the first slot is at least slightly offset from the first portion of the first slot and towards the second slot, and the other rib travels along the second slot to provide structural stability and tracking, with the second slot including biasing means for biasing the rib in the first slot towards the second portion of the slot upon release of the force applied by a user. The biasing means is adapted to include a cut-away portion forming a deflectable arm having an inner wall associated with the second slot so that as the ribs travel along their respective slots, the one rib will deflect the flexible arm to cause the proximal portion of the holder to rotate relative to the distal portion about a central axis so that the rib situated in the first slot can come in contact with a second bridge so that upon sufficient force being applied, the bridge will fracture to allow passage of the rib along the second portion of the first slot.
The holder of the present invention includes a distal portion and a proximal portion, each configured to accommodate a drug container filled with a substance to be delivered, with the distal portion being able to be assembled to the proximal portion, and means for controlling the delivery of the substance including a plurality of slots extending axially along at least one of the portions of the holder whereby when the portions of the holder are moved towards one another upon the application of a minimum force, at least a portion of the substance can be expelled from the drug container.
In the preferred embodiment of the holder, a first end of the drug container includes a spray nozzle and the drug container is a syringe, and the distal portion and the proximal portion each has a generally tubular interior configured to accommodate the syringe and the proximal portion of the holder includes a closed end having a rod extending therefrom for engagement with the stopper of the syringe during activation.
The system of the present invention for the nasal delivery of at least one substance includes a syringe having a barrel, a first end extending from the barrel, the first end including a spray nozzle having an opening for dispensing the substance from the barrel, and at least one stopper slidably positioned within the barrel, a holder having a distal portion and a proximal portion, each configured to accommodate the syringe, with the distal portion being able to be assembled to the proximal portion, which acts as a plunger rod during activation of the system, and means for controlling the delivery of a substance including a plurality of slots extending axially along at least one of the portions of the holder whereby upon activation of the system, the portions of the holder move towards one another upon the application of a minimum force and the stopper moves a preselected axial distance to expel at least a portion of the substance from the syringe, with the preselected axial distance corresponding to about half the distance that the stopper is capable of moving within the barrel to administer about half of the substance contained by the syringe barrel.
In the preferred embodiment of the system, a pair of flanges extend radially outwardly from the distal portion of the holder and are attached there along by a plurality of ribs, and the distal portion and the proximal portion each have a generally tubular configuration. In addition, the slots in the proximal portion of the holder include two corresponding sets situated on each side thereof, with each set including a first slot and a second slot extending axially along the body of the proximal portion of the holder generally parallel to each other and dimensioned and situated to accommodate the ribs so that the ribs are insertable into the slots and able to travel along the slots upon activation of the system, and the first slot is preferably open and is divided into at least two portions, and situated adjacent an open end of the first slot is a bridge extending across at least a portion of the slot, with the bridge being dimensioned so that when a rib comes in contact with the bridge and sufficient force is applied there against, the bridge will fracture or deform to allow passage of the rib along the slot. In addition, a detent is situated adjacent the open end of the first portion of the first slot so that the rib can be clipped between the detent and the bridge prior to activation of the system and the second portion of the first slot is at least slightly offset from the first portion of the first slot and towards the second slot. One of the ribs travels along each of the second slots to provide structural stability and tracking, with each second slot including a cut-away portion forming a deflectable arm for biasing the ribs in the first slots towards the second portions of the slots upon release of the force applied by a user so that as the ribs travel along their respective slots, the ribs traveling along the second slots will deflect the flexible arms to cause the proximal portion of the holder to rotate relative to the distal portion about a central axis so that the ribs situated in the first slots each come in contact with a second bridge so that upon sufficient force being applied, the bridges will each fracture or deform to allow passage of the ribs along the second portions of the first slots.
The method of the present invention for intranasally delivering at least one substance in at least two doses, includes the steps of grasping a pre-assembled drug delivery system with a thumb and two forefingers of one hand, the drug delivery system including a drug container and a holder, with the drug container including a barrel, a first end extending from the barrel, and a stopper slidably positioned within the barrel and the holder having a distal portion and a proximal portion, with the distal portion being assembled to the proximal portion, with the drug container secured therein, and the proximal portion acting as a plunger rod during activation of the system, inserting the end of the drug container into one nostril of a person to whom the substance is to be intranasally delivered, squeezing together the thumb and two forefingers of one hand to apply sufficient force to overcome a bridge extending at least partially across a slot to insure the application of a minimum force, moving the proximal portion of the holder towards the distal portion of the holder a first predetermined distance during a first motion as a result of continuing to squeeze together the thumb and two forefingers to cause the displacement of the stopper and expulsion of a first predetermined amount of a substance contained in the chamber of the drug container barrel into the nostril, removing the end of the drug container from the nostril while relaxing the squeezing force being applied and inserting the end of the drug container into another nostril of the person to whom the substance is to be intranasally delivered, squeezing together the thumb and two forefingers to apply sufficient force to overcome a second bridge extending at least partially across the slot to insure the application of a minimum force, and moving the proximal portion of the holder towards the distal portion of the holder a second predetermined distance during a second motion as a result of continuing to squeeze together the thumb and two forefingers to cause the displacement of the stopper and expulsion of a second predetermined amount of the substance contained in the chamber of the drug container barrel into the other nostril.
In the preferred embodiment of the method, the first predetermined distance is approximately equal to the second predetermined distance and the first predetermined amount of substance expelled is approximately equal to the second predetermined amount of substance expelled. Also, the method includes the step of visually inspecting the contents of the drug container located within the holder through at least one window located in the distal portion of the holder. In addition, relaxing the force being applied during the first motion causes the proximal portion of the holder to rotate about its axis by a force exerted by biasing means. Further, the method includes the step of removing a tip cap from the end of the drug container. The step of grasping the drug delivery system includes placing each of the two forefingers on a flange extending from the distal portion and placing the thumb on a closed end of the proximal portion.
Further, the preferred embodiment of the method, inserting the end of the drug container includes inserting a spray nozzle on the first end of the drug container for use in intranasally delivering the substance. Also, inserting the end of the drug container includes inserting a limiter associated with a first end of the distal portion, and the limiter limits the depth of insertion of the spray nozzle into a nostril, with either inserting the limiter including inserting a limiter formed of a curved design to target specific areas in a nasal cavity or inserting the spray nozzle including inserting a spray nozzle formed of a curved design to target specific areas in a nasal cavity. In addition, the method further includes the step of removing a cap covering at least a first end of the distal portion before grasping the pre-assembled drug delivery system, with removing the cap preferably including breaking a tamper evident means.